The bites usually last about 7 days, even if they are treated correctly. However, if you have sensitive skin like myself, they can last a couple weeks or in my husbands case, they last only a few days. As mentioned, if you scratch the bites its going to make things worse and besides running the risk of a bacterial infection, they will also take longer to heal so keep your nails away from them!
Thanks so much to the person who mentioned the hot/cold water method! I think when you do it when you first notice the bites, It will keep them from becoming huge, itchy welts! I run hot water over the bites and I feel a sense of relief, as if I’m scratching the bite, without actually scratching it. The area turns pink, and I keep going until the relief sensation has subsided, then I run cold water over the area. Works great and it does last for hours!
I never had a problem with bed bugs until my neighbor came over. I didn’t even know she had them until this past Thursday (02/09/2017). She had a brand new bedroom suit she got from Arron’s and they were putting it on the truck. Next thing I knew, they were taking it back off and putting it on the porch. We live in apartme ts so we share a porch. Anyways I asked her why they did that, and it was like she was proud of the fact that she had them. Now I have bites on my upper forearm, and I have treated my house. She knew she had them and never said anythjng. Is there something that I can do about her knowing and not saying anything? I have grandchildren that come over on the weekends.
Hey Tyler! Besides calling an exterminator (since you cannot afford it), I would recommend washing all your bedding, clothes and other linen that may have come into contact with bed bugs and if you still have a problem, get your things steam cleaned. The heat will kill them and its great for treating the mattress, especially since you can do it yourself. Good luck!
Traditional methods of repelling and/or killing bed bugs include the use of plants, fungi, and insects (or their extracts), such as black pepper;[54] black cohosh (Actaea racemosa); Pseudarthria hookeri; Laggera alata (Chinese yángmáo cǎo | 羊毛草);[15] Eucalyptus saligna oil;[55][56] henna (Lawsonia inermis or camphire);[57] "infused oil of Melolontha vulgaris" (presumably cockchafer); fly agaric (Amanita muscaria); tobacco; "heated oil of Terebinthina" (i.e. true turpentine); wild mint (Mentha arvensis); narrow-leaved pepperwort (Lepidium ruderale); Myrica spp. (e.g. bayberry); Robert geranium (Geranium robertianum); bugbane (Cimicifuga spp.); "herb and seeds of Cannabis"; "opulus" berries (possibly maple or European cranberrybush); masked hunter bugs (Reduvius personatus), "and many others".[58]
Just because you can't see bed bugs, does not mean that they are not still there. Bed bugs are rarely seen in the day, out in the open or on the surface of beds or chairs. They have been described as champions of hide-and-seek. So, it is not uncommon to miss the bed bugs altogether. Bed bugs love to hide in the cracks and crevices associated with mattresses, cushions, bed frames and other structures, which is why it is very important to look for telltale symptoms of bed bugs and signs of an infestation, such as shed skins and specks of blood or feces on linens, furniture, mattresses and other areas where the bugs might be hiding.

Bedbugs often invade new areas after being carried there by clothing, luggage, furniture or bedding. The creatures don't discriminate between dirty and clean homes, which means even luxury hotels can be susceptible to bedbugs. The most at-risk places tend to be crowded lodgings with high occupant turnover, such as dormitories, apartment complexes, hotels and homeless shelters.

I woke up this morning trying to figure out what’s this pain on my back and sadly I found out it was munched by a bed bug! It’s so gross and I don’t want my girlfriend to see it! Can an antibiotic cure me from these bites? I only have antibiotics here and the nearest mini convenience store is 5 kilometers away so yeah help me please! Thanks Natasha!
Bedbugs are found in temperate and tropical climates worldwide. The insects are most commonly found in living quarters where their host resides. Bedbugs generally hide in the seams and crevices of bed mattresses and box springs, bed frames, headboards, upholstery, old furniture, closets, and in spaces underneath baseboards or behind loose wallpaper. Clutter and disarray also provide additional hiding places for bedbugs. Bedbugs may be transported from one location to another via luggage, furniture, clothing, and used mattresses. Although they are often associated with unsanitary living conditions, bedbug infestations also occur in clean, well-maintained living quarters, including five-star hotels and resorts. Bedbug infestations have been increasingly reported in hotels, dormitories, homes, apartments, nursing homes, cruise ships, shelters, jails, and hospitals. There have been several cases in the U.S. involving litigation because of infestations of bedbugs, and thus bedbugs are considered a public health pest by several agencies.

My husband returned from a Military Deployment…and brought bed bugs home with him. The day after we realized we had them, an exterminator that specializes in Bed Bugs came to our house and sprayed. They scheduled themselves to come back in 14 days to spray again (to kill the new bugs that hatch after the initial spray). We were old the spray would kill all the adults and babies…and the second spray would get the new hatchlings. 3 days after the initial spray, we started seeing adult bugs again!

Bed bugs will also succumb to cold temperatures below 32°F, but the freezing temperatures must be maintained for a longer period (e.g., one to two weeks). Consequently, heating tends to be a better option throughout much of the country. Efforts to rid entire dwellings of bed bugs by raising or lowering the thermostat will be unsuccessful, although pest control firms are able to achieve lethal temperatures with supplemental heaters (see the subsequent section entitled "Heat Treatments" for more details).
The size of bed bug bites varies with a number of different factors. Bed bugs inject an anti-coagulant along with their saliva when they pierce the skin to take a blood meal. This anti-coagulant is mostly responsible for how a person reacts to the bite and determines the size of the bug’s bite. Since people will have various sensitivities to the bed bug’s bite, the size of the bite will vary, as well. Another factor that influences the size of a bed bug reaction is the number of times a person is bitten. Bite reactions of people bitten many times are also variable, and their response may be either more or less intense as the number of bites increases.